First a quick English lesson:
There are only three articles in English: a, an and the.
There are two types of articles indefinite a and an or definite the.


Now Spanish:
In Spanish, like many languages, words have gender so the article changes depending on the gender of the word. Each word here will be given with the definite article in front of it.

Definite articles in Spanish are "el" and "la", male and female respectfully. The plural form is "los" and "las" In English all four of these words are translated "the."

Indefinite articles in Spanish are "un" "una" "unos" and "unas." Those words are all translated "a" or "an."

Word: el país
Pronunciation: pah-EES
Meaning: country
Example: Mi país tiene de todo: playa, montañas, desiertos y mucho petróleo.
Translation: My country has everything: beach, mountains, deserts and much oil.

Word: de
Pronunciation: deh
Meaning: De is a very common preposition that usually is translated as "of" or "from," although it can be translated with other meanings as well, especially when used after certain verbs.
Example: Telefónica es un operador de telecomunicaciones en el mundo de habla hispana y portuguesa.
Translation: Telefónica is an operator of telecommunications in the Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking world.
Comment: Often, when translating from Spanish to English, the word de doesn't have to be translated directly. For example, in the sample sentence, you could just as easily say "telecommunications operator" as you could "operator of telecommunications." Also, a phrase such as "el coche de Monique" could be translated not only as "the car of Monique" but also as "Monique's car."

This is wonderful, Shane! I think I'll get me a notebook and 'take notes' on these lessons.

La Palabra esta fantastico! :)

Here is one for those health-conscious environmentalists.

Word: la bicicleta
Pronunciation: bee-see-CLEH-tah in Latin America, bee-thee-CLEH-tah in Spain (with the "th" pronounced as in "thin")
Meaning: bicycle
Example: La bicicleta es un medio de transporte sano, ecológico, sostenible y muy económico.
Translation: The bicycle is a healthy, ecological, sustainable and very economical means of transportation.

How about a verb today? Conjugating verbs is always tricky.

Word: ver
Pronunciation: behr (Note that the Spanish r here is pronounced with a tap of the tongue against the front of the palate.)
Meaning: to see, to watch, to look at
Example: La persona ciega no puede ver, pero "siente" el mundo a través de los otros sentidos (tacto, oído, olfato).
Translation: The blind person cannot see, but he "feels" the world by means of the other senses (touch, hearing, smell).
Warning: The verb ver has an irregular conjugation: veo (I see), ves (you see), ve (he/she sees), vemos (we see), veis (you see), ven (they see).

Word: la leche
Pronunciation: LEH-cheh
Meaning: milk
Example: La leche es la base de numerosos productos lácteos, como la mantequilla, el queso o el yogur.
Translation: Milk is the basic ingredient of numerous dairy products such as butter, cheese or yogurt.
Warning: Leche can also refer to the sap in a tree.

Almost forgot about today's word

Word: la vaca
Pronunciation: BAH-cah
Meaning: cow
Example: El sistema digestivo de la vaca ha evolucionado formando tres cavidades que se encuentran antes el estómago verdadero.
Translation: The digestive system of the cow has evolved to form three cavities that are found before the true stomach.
Warning: In some contexts, vaca can also be used to refer to beef.

Word: el padre
Pronunciation: PAH-dreh
Meaning: father
Example: Mi padre era un hombre muy formal, muy ceremonioso.
Translation: My father was a very formal man, very ceremonious.

Word: la ventana
Pronunciation: ben-TAH-nah
Meaning: window
Example: Si el viento de un huracán abre una puerta o ventana, no avance hacia ella.
Translation: If the wind from a hurricane opens a door or window, don't go toward it.
Warning: This word can be applied both to the window in a building and a window on a computer screen.

Word: el jugo
Pronunciation: HOO-go (Note that in most areas, the Spanish j is pronounced with a gutteral sound.)
Meaning: juice
Example: Las ventas de jugos tropicales en los E.E.U.U. ha sido modesta, debido en parte, a que el costo es significativamente mayor que el jugo de manzana.
Translation: The sales of tropical juices in the U.S. has been modest, owing in part to that the cost is significantly more than for apple juice.